Huan - A Balanced Diet: Lose Weight, Maintain Health and Radiance in 4 Weeks

hen I was in college at the University of Toronto and struggling withmy own weight (I gained twenty pounds over four years) and constantly in a rush and under deadline, I took shortcuts to get through theday. Id skip breakfast, suck down coffee after coffee, skip lunch, andthen, by days end, despite my best efforts to resist, Id surrender to thesiren call of the fast-food restaurant on my way home and hungrilydevour a burger and fries, scolding myself the whole time. I blew it again,Id say. This would be followed by a vow to go for a run as soon as I gothomea plan that was soon forgotten once I sat down to read the paperand found myself fast asleep by ten oclock, only to wake up the next dayand do it all over again.

My rationale was simple: sure, I knew that my eating habits werentgreat, but, I argued, I loved food too much! Health food was too bland forme. And besides, I worked hard all day and deserved to treat myself. Aftercollege, when I started training to become a nutritionist and a naturopathicdoctor, I found myself surrounded by people who were well hydrated,avoided coffee, and ate veggies and drank green drinks. It was a shock. Iremember thinking, I could never do that. It didnt seem appetizing.

I continued with my old ways, skipping meals, not eating enough vegetables, grabbing muffins, pizza, and bagels on the go, but gradually feltworse and worse. Then one day, I went in for my annual physical and wastold that my cholesterol was borderline highand I was only twenty-four!This really hit home since my grandparents had died from heart diseaseand diabetes. That night, I lay in bed thinking that no matter how hard itwould be, I had to try to break this cycle.

The next day, I began a liver-cleansing diet. At first, I must admit, I wasa bit skeptical about what it could do for me. I rarely drank alcohol, didntdo drugs, and didnt smokehow much cleansing would my liver need?But I went ahead anyway. Almost immediately, I started to feel better. Mydigestion improved. My energy came back. My cholesterol and weightcame down. I hadnt felt like this in years. I felt like I was waking up again.

Now, of course it does take some work and dedication to break oldhabits and fit new things into your lifestyle, and sometimes I lapsed backinto my old ways because eating healthy day in and day out seemedimpossibleespecially when I was eating foods I was unaccustomed to.But as my tastes evolved, I began to really appreciate these foods becauseI felt really good when I ate them. My energy soared. I felt positive andvibrant, and people commented, for the first time, about the healthy glowI had. And the best part about it? I realized that as long as I maintainedhealthy habits and included the right foods, I could still enjoy any foodsI loved, as long as I did it in moderation. It took a real commitment tomyself and my health, but as I quickly discovered, it was worth it.

Many of you already know me as the guide to alternative medicine atAbout.com, one of the most popular and trusted Web sites for practicalinformation. According to the World Health Organization, 158 million ofthe adult population use alternative medicine in the United States. Forthe last seven years, Ive reviewed the latest in diet and health research,and written hundreds of articles for readers around the world who counton me for my scientific evidence, real-life experience, and a down-to-earthapproach.

When I posted basic information about this type of diet on the site,overnight it became one of the most popular pages. People couldnt getenough of it, and I received thousands of e-mails from readers everywhere, asking me when I was going to write a book and give them the fullplan. This is it!

Today, as a nutritionist and a naturopathic doctor who uses herbal medicine, acupuncture, lifestyle counseling, relaxation therapies, and othernatural therapies to create individualized treatment plans, I see clients whohave tried everything to lose weight. And I mean everything. South Beach.Atkins. The Grapefruit Diet. The Mediterranean Diet. The Zone. WeightWatchers. The Three-Hour Diet. Calorie counting. Even prescriptiondrugs. Do these things help them lose weight? Sometimes, but it oftendoesnt last. And soon theyre back at square one, having lost little morethan their resolve. In fact, some of my clients suffer such dramatic fluctuations in weight that they simply keep different sets of clothing to suittheir shifting sizes.

All these trial-and-error techniques have taught them some valuablelessons. Theyve learned that simply cutting calories wont work; they endup hungry, tired, and worseobsessed with the food they cant have.Theyve learned that quantifying your food by measuring every unit ispainstaking, joyless, and not viable as a long-term solution. The prescription drugs have uncomfortable, sometimes horrible side effects. Andmaintaining a multisize wardrobe can be expensive.

Clients come to me frustrated, upset, beaten down, apologetic. Somelook resigned, others embarrassed. Some fight back tears. And theyvecome to me with the very last shred of hope they can muster. Unfortunately, difficulty with weight loss is rarely their only problem. The struggle with weight often comes coupled with other health problems, too:high blood pressure, hot flashes, fatigue, arthritis, chronic stress, indigestion, high cholesterol, sports injuries, skin problems, insomnia, anddepression, to name a few. Many of these conditions, including weight,Ive found, can be helped by addressing certain underlying problems likehormonal imbalance, essential fatty acid deficiency, chronic inflammation, inadequate diet, chemical exposure, stress, and food intolerances,which all involve the liver.

I take a holistic approach to health in my practice, paying special attention to the role nutrition plays in our health. Many of the people I see havebeen told by doctors that there is nothing wrong with them, even thoughthey know in their gut there is. The truth is, 65 percent of adults in theUnited States are overweight or obese, and most North Americans regularly lose and regain weight. According to a report by the Institute of Medicine, over two-thirds of the weight a person loses will be regained withina year and almost all within five years. Whether you are trying to lose thatlast fifteen pounds or drop the fifty you gained back, the fact remains thatgaining and losing and then gaining weight again can take a serious tollon your health.

The big selling point for most fad diets is how rapidly weight lossoccurs. In this book, youll learn what my clients already know and haveexperienced firsthandthat a healthy liver, while often overlooked andcertainly underappreciated, is critical to maintaining a healthy weight.And when its health is compromised, our most important metabolic functions, involving our thyroid, insulin, and other hormones, grind to ahaltas does our ability to lose weight. Fad diets that encourage rapidweight loss cause a rapid influx of fats and toxins to your poor liver, overtaxing it and thus rendering it less capable of doing its job.

Unlike most diet books that take aim at food as the enemy, this planhelps you see food differentlyas a wonderful and natural tool for healing and weight loss. My clients, who have successfully lost and kept offtheir weight, know that the only effective weight loss happens when theyshift their focus from eating for loss (what not to eat) to eating to gainhealth, energy, and a sense of well-being, that is. You might be thinkingthat this doesnt sound like dieting, because its not. And thats why itworks.